pauliemc Posted April 12, 2011 Report Share Posted April 12, 2011 This is one of my JS Lotus models. Basicly a JS with the body, neck & headstock cut as one from a single billet of timber. This one is Black Walnut & wil have a Flamed maple bookmatched top. For now there is little to see. The main blank for the neck/body/head are cut & the top is glued on. Started the carve on the back, Piks here show it rough sanded to 80 grit & wiped with spirit. I will get more up as I get the time on this one. Probobly an update a week, So long as I remember to sort Piks ( which I absolutly suck at ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottR Posted April 12, 2011 Report Share Posted April 12, 2011 That's a great piece of Walnut Paulie. Are you able to get any neck angle, or do you do you run them flat so you can use the full thickness of the billet for the headstock angle? The back contouring is very nice....like Chad says, it looks nice and cuddly. What are the two holes for in that area where the control cavity will likely be? What color is the top going to be? Man your shop looks like one I'd be at home in....well used. Looking forward to more. SR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pauliemc Posted April 12, 2011 Author Report Share Posted April 12, 2011 That's a great piece of Walnut Paulie. Are you able to get any neck angle, or do you do you run them flat so you can use the full thickness of the billet for the headstock angle? The back contouring is very nice....like Chad says, it looks nice and cuddly. What are the two holes for in that area where the control cavity will likely be? What color is the top going to be? Man your shop looks like one I'd be at home in....well used. Looking forward to more. SR This one is all flat. No angles. But I have done a PRS type thing like this, That was a challange. Even finding a billet thick enough took me about 4 months. As for the Walnut on this one, 14x2.5 inch x3.5 foot long. The 2 holes are locating the control cavity. Customer wants a black fade around the edges & a black flamed front. Personaly I hate black flame. Waste of a nice piece of timber. But hey, Its not mine so I cant realy bitch too much about it. As for my work shop. Yea, it a bomb site But thats where I work best. I had it all shiney & spotless like Simos for a while but I just didnt feel at home in it. So now its got crap everywhere. Tools, timber, bits of old Harleys, dead guitars, Templates, big angry dog. All the things that get me into the right frame of mind to build these things you know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pauliemc Posted April 14, 2011 Author Report Share Posted April 14, 2011 Front carve roughed out. sanded to 80 grit. Still need a lot of cleaning up but you get the general idea. I realy like the flame on this one, But im kinda worried that the black stain & glossy finish will kill it off too much to realy appreciate it. But i suppose we will see. The fretboard is just taped into place for now untill I get a few things lined up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ripthorn Posted April 15, 2011 Report Share Posted April 15, 2011 That's a great top, where'd you get it, if you don't mind my asking? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pauliemc Posted April 15, 2011 Author Report Share Posted April 15, 2011 That's a great top, where'd you get it, if you don't mind my asking? Local steak house was being refitted & I asked the foreman on the job if I could go thru the junked furniature. All of their old tables were just big hunks of Maple & Beech with all sorts of funky figuring on some of them. I managed to get 3 sets like this from just one table. I got 3 tables that made 7 good matched tops altogether. as to the rest (30 tables all 75mm thick & a 15 foot long bar top 200mm thick) the whole lot was put into a shredder. Awfull shame they would not let me take more as there was easily another 40 tops like this in there & the rest would probobly make some half decent drop tops. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottR Posted April 15, 2011 Report Share Posted April 15, 2011 That's a great top, where'd you get it, if you don't mind my asking? Local steak house was being refitted & I asked the foreman on the job if I could go thru the junked furniature. All of their old tables were just big hunks of Maple & Beech with all sorts of funky figuring on some of them. I managed to get 3 sets like this from just one table. I got 3 tables that made 7 good matched tops altogether. as to the rest (30 tables all 75mm thick & a 15 foot long bar top 200mm thick) the whole lot was put into a shredder. Awfull shame they would not let me take more as there was easily another 40 tops like this in there & the rest would probobly make some half decent drop tops. Great save on that table top Paulie. It is amazing how much highly figured wood gets used up in restaurant table tops. Excellent carve. When you dye the top are you planning to hit it with a very heavy black, then sand back and then hit it again with a very transparent black? I actually like tops done that way quite a lot. Very nice carve as well. Goes nicely with the one on the back. SR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prostheta Posted April 15, 2011 Report Share Posted April 15, 2011 I think I just did some sick into my mouth. I can't believe they wasted all that wood. Couldn't you do the right thing and threaten their families or be a whole "righteous ass in valley of shadows"? Man, when businesses and corporations scrap stuff because it doesn't mean anything to them whilst artisans scrimpe and scrape to hunt down these simple things..... Tell me you have a phone number. Please. PM me and we'll agree a contract. j/k, probably Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westhemann Posted April 15, 2011 Report Share Posted April 15, 2011 Oh great,now look what you did..you just sent Prostheta off the deep end Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pauliemc Posted April 16, 2011 Author Report Share Posted April 16, 2011 That's a great top, where'd you get it, if you don't mind my asking? Local steak house was being refitted & I asked the foreman on the job if I could go thru the junked furniature. All of their old tables were just big hunks of Maple & Beech with all sorts of funky figuring on some of them. I managed to get 3 sets like this from just one table. I got 3 tables that made 7 good matched tops altogether. as to the rest (30 tables all 75mm thick & a 15 foot long bar top 200mm thick) the whole lot was put into a shredder. Awfull shame they would not let me take more as there was easily another 40 tops like this in there & the rest would probobly make some half decent drop tops. Great save on that table top Paulie. It is amazing how much highly figured wood gets used up in restaurant table tops. Excellent carve. When you dye the top are you planning to hit it with a very heavy black, then sand back and then hit it again with a very transparent black? I actually like tops done that way quite a lot. Very nice carve as well. Goes nicely with the one on the back. SR Hey Scott. Yea realy dark black first. then cut it back, then a washed out black, cut it back, then a realy washed out purple. Still looks like a black guitar but the purple helps the flame pop a bit more. Just gotta convince the client on it Its an awfull shame the stuff that gets shredded for fuel or chipboard over here. He actually paid the recycling people to take it all away. Even after i offered him €500 for it he still paid to have it shredded. At least i got something I suppose. Screw it, Cant win em all. I got 6 more to go on gitirz for people so its not a total loss Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prostheta Posted April 16, 2011 Report Share Posted April 16, 2011 €... I take it that you are in Ireland, Paul? Wow. I am even more stunned that these people couldn't be bribed out of chipping it all! Certified waste carriers are expensive. Crazy world. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westhemann Posted April 16, 2011 Report Share Posted April 16, 2011 I know over here you are required to prove proper disposal on certain jobs,and that means a certain weight has to be on the receipt to turn in to the contractor...the only way around it is to replace the premium stuff with equivalent crap wood...next time offer to replace it with lumber grade wood. I have had to do it before with steel,and I gave away some small part,but you still need enough left to make it look proper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pauliemc Posted April 17, 2011 Author Report Share Posted April 17, 2011 I know over here you are required to prove proper disposal on certain jobs,and that means a certain weight has to be on the receipt to turn in to the contractor...the only way around it is to replace the premium stuff with equivalent crap wood...next time offer to replace it with lumber grade wood. I have had to do it before with steel,and I gave away some small part,but you still need enough left to make it look proper I didnt go to the contractor. I went to the client because most contractors wont risk loosing the job by not following the spec & proceedures to the letter. The client (restaurant owners) scrapped it all. Makes no financial sense at all. It cost him €500 to put it in the shredder, add to that the €500 he lost by not selling it to me & he is out of pocket €1000. Thats about $1450 USA. & he had to pay the contractor to get it all to the recycling place on top of all that. Idiot if you ask me. Next time I wont ask. Ill just pull up with a trailer, pay the security guys €100 to see nothing & raid the skip. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shiscabob Posted April 17, 2011 Report Share Posted April 17, 2011 I swear people can be so stupid sometimes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pauliemc Posted April 18, 2011 Author Report Share Posted April 18, 2011 Little more on this. Headstock roughed out, neck rough shaped & heel rough carved. Got the fret board on & side dots in aswell. Need to line up the bridge & pups next, then its Time for hours & hours of sanding. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pauliemc Posted April 18, 2011 Author Report Share Posted April 18, 2011 Neck heel piks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottR Posted April 18, 2011 Report Share Posted April 18, 2011 I love the way that grain comes out of the body and points right up the neck. I looks like you may have done some more contouring on the back in addition to that smooth neck join. Very nice Paulie. SR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prostheta Posted April 18, 2011 Report Share Posted April 18, 2011 I know over here you are required to prove proper disposal on certain jobs,and that means a certain weight has to be on the receipt to turn in to the contractor...the only way around it is to replace the premium stuff with equivalent crap wood...next time offer to replace it with lumber grade wood. I have had to do it before with steel,and I gave away some small part,but you still need enough left to make it look proper I didnt go to the contractor. I went to the client because most contractors wont risk loosing the job by not following the spec & proceedures to the letter. The client (restaurant owners) scrapped it all. Makes no financial sense at all. It cost him €500 to put it in the shredder, add to that the €500 he lost by not selling it to me & he is out of pocket €1000. Thats about $1450 USA. & he had to pay the contractor to get it all to the recycling place on top of all that. Idiot if you ask me. Next time I wont ask. Ill just pull up with a trailer, pay the security guys €100 to see nothing & raid the skip. You can buy a reasonably formidable chainsaw for less than €100 and still have change for petrol and two-stroke to run it. Plus you'll end up with all the wood and a bonus chainsaw. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pauliemc Posted April 19, 2011 Author Report Share Posted April 19, 2011 I love the way that grain comes out of the body and points right up the neck. I looks like you may have done some more contouring on the back in addition to that smooth neck join. Very nice Paulie. SR Glad you like it. Yea bit more shaping done to make it almost vanish into you while playing. The grain is a product of the wood selection, When I build these Lotus models I need to find a billet with all the grain reasonably similar from one side to the other. It has to be almost bolt straight aswell because I am carving the neck from it. There is a lot you can get away with when you make a neck seperatly that would just kill you here. I am starting another Black Lotus in a day or 2, I think you will like that one. No top. Lust a big chunk of walnut. Only glue is to hold the fretboard in place. PROSTHETA Bonus chainsaw ?now thers a concept I think every man could get behind Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pauliemc Posted April 23, 2011 Author Report Share Posted April 23, 2011 OK. Some progress piks. Got the stains onto the front & back. The black is on the front here & the black edge burst is on the back. Forgot to get any of the front after it was cut & washed with the purple. But I will get piks of it with the first coat of clear later. Front : initial black stain. You cant realy see the flame here. The second & third wash coats bring that up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pauliemc Posted April 23, 2011 Author Report Share Posted April 23, 2011 Back with edge burst & sealer coat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avengers63 Posted April 23, 2011 Report Share Posted April 23, 2011 It's starting to look pretty bad-a$$! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WezV Posted April 23, 2011 Report Share Posted April 23, 2011 not sure i like the burst around the neck - kinda hides the 1-piece construction Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pauliemc Posted April 23, 2011 Author Report Share Posted April 23, 2011 not sure i like the burst around the neck - kinda hides the 1-piece construction yea I know. But I had to talk the customer into this. He wanted it all totaly blacked out. All that filthy pornographic walnut would have been completly hidden from view. Im not too worried about it, The whole idea with my Lotus models is to have as few joints as possible. But some customers kinda screw it by asking for a figured top. Im not realy too picky about the finish on those ones, Colour is OK. But if its a Black Lotus (one of these. http://www.aeolianguitars.com/photo7175730.html I realy should get more piks of one finished) then it has to be clear poly or oil. Nothing else, If the customer argues the point then I dont build it Anyway. I promised some piks of the top. Its got a heap of clear on it just now. Needs to be levelled & buffed. But you get the idea. Im still not a fan of black figured tops. but this one is not too bad Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prostheta Posted April 24, 2011 Report Share Posted April 24, 2011 I demand you spend the day doing the levelling and buffing. Those irregular reflections are bugging me man. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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